Training – Page 4

Number Talks in the Classroom (Part 2)

November 29, 2016 by Beth Curran 3 Comments

From our previous post on Number Talks, we explained how to establish a safe and respectful classroom environment and shared examples of appropriate topics of Number Talks in Kindergarten through 5^th grade. Read Part 1.

Number Talks in Action

Environment plays a key role. Students should gather at a designated meeting area in the classroom away from writing materials or have writing materials tucked away if working at desks. I’ve allowed students to sit on top of desks just for this purpose.

The following outlines the flow of a Number Talk.

Teacher:	Students:
Teacher writes 27 + 18 on the board. “When you have found one way to solve it hold up your thumb. If you can think of a second way to solve it, add a finger.”	Holding up their thumbs if they have found a strategy to solve the problem. Adding in fingers for each additional strategy they come up with.
Teacher:	Students:
“Let’s share answers.” Teachers records all answers, right or wrong.	“48, 47, 45”
Teacher:	Students:
“Would anyone like to argue for or against one of the answers?” Teacher records strategies on the board as students share, and labels them with numbers and/or student names.	“I agree with 45 because I know I need to add 2 to 18 to make it 20, and I can get the 2 from the 27 which leaves me with 25 to add to 20, which makes 45.” “I disagree with 48 because you would need to add 30 to 18 to make 48 and you only have 27.” “I disagree with 47 because you would need to add 20 to 27 to get 47 and we only have 18.” “I also agree with 45 because I know that 20 and 10 makes 30 and 7 and 8 makes 15 and 30 and 15 is 45.” “I also agree with 45 because I know I need to add 3 to 27 to make it 30. I can get 3 from 18 which leaves me with 15 and 30 and 15 is 45.”
Teacher:	Students:
“It looks like we have 3 strategies that work to get us the answer of 45 and are able to disprove the other two answers. Can we all agree that 45 is the answers?” “If you had a similar problem to solve, show with your fingers, would you choose strategy 1, 2 or 3?” Teacher could use this time to discuss efficiency of strategies.	Students hold up 1, 2 or 3 fingers to choose their strategy of choice.
Teacher:	Students:
Teacher writes 38 + 23 on the board. “I want everyone to use strategy 3 (or other strategy of teacher’s or student’s choice) to solve this problem. “When I count down from 3, say the answer. 3-2-1…” Teacher clarifies any remaining confusion, if necessary.	Students holding up thumbs and fingers when they have solved the problem and say answer when prompted by the teacher.

Looking for a way to deepen number sense, build confidence and celebrate different ways of thinking? Then, give Number Talks a try! Please comment and share your experience.

Filed Under: Math Resources, Singapore Math Problems, Tales from the classroom, Training Tagged With: tales from the classroom

Number Talks in the Singapore Math Classroom (Part 1)

November 21, 2016 by Beth Curran 4 Comments

Mental math plays a huge role in the Singapore Math curriculum. By developing mental math strategies in your students, you are equipping them with strong number sense, a critical skill and goal for our students to reach by the end of middle school.

You can practice mental math in your classrooms with a Number Talk; a term coined by Sherry Parrish in her popular book, Number Talks: Helping Children Build Mental Math and Computation Strategies.

Establishing Rules and Roles for a Number Talk

For Number Talks to be successful, you have to establish some rules for respectful listening and productive criticism. All students need to feel safe to participate without feeling ridiculed.

Enlisting student help when generating rules allows students to take ownership of them and creates a classroom where the rules are more likely to be followed.

To generate rules for Number Talks you might ask:

What does it look and sound like when someone is being a good listener?

It’s equally important to teach students how to respond to each other in a respectful manner. In a recent post on Edutopia, Oracy in the Classroom, types of talk were artfully organized into 6 discussion roles.

During a Number Talk, students become the Builders, Challengers and Clarifiers, while the teacher plays the roles of the Instigator, Prober, and Summariser as he or she guides the discussion as the facilitator of the Number Talk.

What should we talk about?

In Kindergarten, Number Talks can focus on subitizing and connecting the pictorial to the abstract.

Thoughtful problems are used in grades 1 through 5, designed specifically to practice mental math strategies that have been introduced in class.

In Kindergarten, show an image like this and ask, “How many dots do you see?”

In first grade, show an image like this.

Or a problem like this to practice addition strategies.

18 + 5 =

In second grade, start with a problem like this to practice addition strategies.

57 + 14 =

Or this, to practice adding a number close to 100.

97 + 33

Or this, to practice subtraction strategies.

43 – 28 =

In third grade, start with this to practice mental math with multiplication.

14 x 3 =

Or this to practice mental division.

42 ÷ 3 =

In fourth grade, start with problems like these to build on strategies learned in the previous grades.

499 + 137 =

138 – 56 =

In fifth grade, start with problems like these to continue to build on strategies learned in the previous grades.

1388 + 2983 =

29 x 7 =

135 ÷ 5 =

Give some of these a try and check back soon for the next installment of Number Talks in the Singapore Math Classroom.

Look for Part 2 next Monday!

Filed Under: Math Resources, Singapore Math Problems, Tales from the classroom, Training

Reader Survey: Help Us Help You

August 1, 2016 by Cassy Turner 1 Comment

As the popularity and influence of Singapore Math® programs grow, so does interest in focused professional development around Singapore-based concepts.

Each month, we receive dozens of inquiries from teachers and schools seeking training to ensure that they are using the curriculum as effectively as possible. We are in the process of planning future educational programs for teachers and schools, and would love to know how we can help you!

If you are interested in learning more about Singapore Math or taking your current math teaching skills to a higher level, please take a few minutes to complete this survey.

Online survey powered by Typeform

Filed Under: Math Events, Tales from the classroom, Training

Great Math News from City Springs School In Baltimore

May 24, 2016 by Cassy Turner Leave a Comment

For the last year, I’ve been working with City Springs Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore. Here’s a short description from the school’s website:

City Springs Elementary/Middle School is a neighborhood charter school operated by the Baltimore Curriculum Project (BCP). We are a conversion charter school, which means we were an already existing Baltimore City Public School that was taken over by an outside operator to bring innovative and research-based curriculum and other programs to enhance the school. To learn more about BCP, click here.

Initially, the school was seeking help with its Middle School math. After I made a pair of on-site visits at the end of the 2014-2015 school year, Dr. Rhonda Richetta, Principal of City Springs, decided to adopt Singapore’s Primary Mathematics Common Core Edition.

I’ve returned to City Springs periodically this year to provide continuing support as the school’s teachers and coaches adopted a Singapore Math® curriculum. The school is making remarkable progress, and I want to share stories written by some of City Springs’ dedicated teachers about the students’ growth during the year.

I’ve clipped an excerpt from each story with teachers’ observations and very valuable insights about the program and why it is working so well for their students. Please click on the links to read complete stories from the school’s website. I love the photos of students showing off their skills and having fun with math!

Ms. Schoenleber: Introducing Singapore Math (November 2015) “Classroom manipulatives have helped our kids get better at problem solving and justifying their answers for tough math problems.”

Ms. Hagemann: It’s More than Just a Game (November 2015) “One way to get stronger in mental math is by use math-based games to reinforce basic concepts and encourage mathematical thinking…Students in Ms. Hageman’s class love mental math games!”

Ms. Smith: Moving Ahead in Mathh (February 2016) “Singapore Math has been very challenging but it has also been very rewarding, and they have especially loved the use of manipulatives in class.”

Ms. Barry: Stepping Up to the Ratio Challenge (February 2016) “Ratio problems can be really tricky. Sometimes these multi-step problems are so challenging that we spend 15, 30, or even 45 minutes on one problem! Our students love to rise to the challenge, and have grown so much in their math skills with these complex problems.”

Ms. Barry’s also class wanted to challenge readers to solve a ratio problem they worked on. How did you do?

Ms. Lineberry: Introducing Fractions (May 2016) “At first, we struggled to figure fractions out. Trying to wrap our minds around halves and fourths proved difficult at first. Things became a little clearer after we started using “manipulatives,” hands-on objects used to illustrate math concepts.”

Ms. Williams: Knowing All the Angles (May 2016) “Students began their geometrical journey by learning how to measure angles…Later, they will start learning to measure geometric angles made by two lines emanating out of the center of a circle, and eventually beginning exploring the complex world of geometry formulas.”

Working with City Springs has been one of the most rewarding and enjoyable assignments of my career. Teachers have embraced the challenge of adopting a new program and students are making wonderful progress. I can’t wait to see their growth in Year Two! Thank You, City Springs!

[Full disclosure: My work assignment at City Springs is contracted through Staff Development for Educators.]

Filed Under: Math Resources, News, Schools, Tales from the classroom, Training Tagged With: adopting Singapore math materials, School News, Singapore Math curriculum, Singapore Math training, tales from the classroom

How can I fit it all in?

May 19, 2016 by Beth Curran Leave a Comment

In 2015, Beth wrote about the Primary Mathematics adoption process at St. Anne’s-Belfield School. Here’s an update on the school’s progress.

As the year winds down and I look back at all that my students have learned this past year, I still feel panicked at what’s left to be covered. This is the end of a 3-year adoption cycle of Primary Mathematics and while I’ve been able to cover more curriculum than in the previous 2 years, I am still left wondering, “How can I fit it all in?”

In the fall of 2013, we adopted the Primary Mathematics curriculum in Kindergarten through sixth grades. We knew this would come with its challenges but felt strongly that if we were going to offer our students the “world’s best mathematics curriculum,” then we needed to offer it to all, not just those who made the K, 1, 2 cut.

With this plan, we knew there would be time spent filling in holes in our first year, teaching skills and concepts that the students were missing, and building a solid foundation in number sense and place value. We accepted the fact that we would not cover all of the curriculum that first year, and worked with Cassy Turner to develop a sequence for each grade level that included teaching critical lessons from prior grade levels.

Year 2

In the second year, teachers were feeling a sense of relief. We’d made it through that challenging first year. We experienced the curriculum from start to finish, well – at least our version of it, and we felt confident. We weren’t faced with the need to back-teach (as much). Our students entered the year having learned and retained a deeper understanding of those critical math concepts.

With Cassy’s advice, we created a new plan for our second year. We knew the lessons that had been skipped the previous year and teachers worked together to map out a Kindergarten through sixth-grade sequence that allowed us to get further through the content, and more importantly, accounted for previously omitted lessons. If we didn’t teach a lesson on geometry to our third graders our first year, we made sure those students would get those lessons in fourth grade our second year.

The year ended, and our standardized test scores showed slight increases in problem solving and algebra readiness, both areas of statistical concern with our previous curriculum.

Year 3

Entering year three, we felt confident in our abilities to deliver lessons. Along with our students, our staff had developed a deeper, conceptual understanding of math. We were able to effortlessly explain new concepts, differentiate on the fly, and anticipate misconceptions. We incorporated anchor tasks, journaling and finally had a grasp on how to effectively use all of the materials.

We entered the year with the goal of teaching the entire curriculum. Halfway through the year we were teaching material nearly a month ahead of our previous two years and felt really good about it. Then came…

rehearsals for performances
grandparents’ day presentations
spring field trips…
field day…
and all sorts of other school commitments.

By April, we had just about lost the scheduling lead that we had enjoyed in December.

So, here I find myself once again faced with the task of choosing one lesson over another and prioritizing the importance of skills and concepts that I may or may not have the time to teach. Fortunately, the list to choose from is smaller than in the years before. I’ve been able to cover almost all of the material, nearly reaching the goal.

I consider myself lucky to have been in a situation of specializing in math in the lower grades over the past 3 years. I have been able to experience the strengths of the sequence, which in my mind, is one of the pillars of success of a Singapore Math curriculum. Going forward, I know it will be easier to thoughtfully prioritize content to eliminate the risk of creating gaps or holes in student learning that could potentially weaken their foundation.

As I leave the school, I look forward to bringing this wealth of knowledge that I gained over the past 3 years to Math Champions and look forward to assisting other schools that are facing the question of, “How can I fit it all in?”

Filed Under: Implementing Singapore Math, Math Resources, Tales from the classroom, Training Tagged With: Singapore Math training, tales from the classroom